Princess Eugenie has issued her first public statement since the recent revelation of an email sent by her mother, Sarah Ferguson, to the late convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. In 2011, Sarah Ferguson allegedly wrote to Epstein apologising for publicly distancing herself from him after his conviction on charges of child sexual abuse. In the email, she referred to Epstein as a "generous and supreme" friend.

The backlash has been swift, with the Duchess of York being removed from roles at seven charities following the disclosure. Julia's House, a children's hospice, was the first to cut ties, followed by the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the Children’s Literacy Charity, the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, and Prevent Breast Cancer. The British Heart Foundation also confirmed that the duchess would no longer serve as an ambassador for the organisation.

Amid the scandal, Princess Eugenie took to Instagram to focus attention elsewhere, sharing highlights from a recent event she hosted in New York City.

She announced in the post that she hosted an event in partnership with the Anti-Slavery Collective, a charity she co-founded in 2017 with her long-time friend, Julia de Boinville. The event marked the launch of a new campaign called Hidden Threads: Fake Fashion - A Human Rights Scandal which aims to raise awareness about the link between counterfeit fashion and forced labour.

Princess Eugenie posted photos from the event on social media accompanied by the caption: "The Anti-Slavery Collective have been working on a project showing the connection between fake fashion & forced labour.

"I was very proud to host an event to coincide with UNGA and NYC Climate Week to launch this exciting new project, and shine a light on this underreported human rights scandal.

"The Anti-Slavery Collective launched a new short film and hosted a roundtable for fashion insiders, re-seller platforms, designers, brands, behavioural scientists, fashion press, and illicit trade experts.

"This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to see this project unfold!"

The post comes shortly after Sarah Ferguson's spokesperson, James Henderson, claimed that the email was sent after Epstein threatened the duchess during a "menacing" phone call.

The spokersperson described Epstein's voice as a "Hannibal Lecter-type" and said that Epstein threatened to destroy her family.

He said in a statement: "This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats."